Printing press



Feb. 21, 1939. TORNBERG PRINTING PRESS Filed Jul 18, 1936 3 SheetsSheet 1 Patented Feb. 21, 1939 PATENT OFFICE PRINTING PRESS Isidor Tornberg, Plainfield, N. J assignorto Wood Newspaper Machinery Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Virginia Application July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,297

Claims. (Cl. 270-5) This invention relates to the application of one or more color printing units to one or more black .and white printing units so that color can be provided in the daily run of newspapers in a more flexible arrangement than has been thecase heretofore.

The principal objects of the invention are to group a series of black and white printing units with color printing units in such a way that l" the webs can be run through to the folder from all of said units with the color pages printed on both sides as well as the black ones; to arrange the printing of black and color in a variety of ways; to provide this arrangement in a very l compact form; to provide such an arrangement that it is useful not only in printing color but any two or more couples may be used to print and perfect a web in a single color, thus increasing the normal capacity of the press by the addition of sunicient paper supply; to provide a power means for the color printing unit in which each printing couple is reversible and each of the driving gears Which may be used forthat purpose may be selectively clutched to the plate cylinder shaft, thereby giving a reversible drive, and to provide two large central gears in the driving means in such a way that there are only two points of back lash, thus maintaining good register and minimizing web breaks. It involves in part improvements over my application Serial No. 84,244, filed June 8, 1936.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyin drawings, in which Fig. l is a diagrammatic side View of a conventional sextuple press with a preferred form of this improved color arrangement attached thereto, four colors being printed on one side of the web;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing an extra lead to the color deck permitting this extra web to be printed in one color on one side and in three colors on the other side;

Fig. 3 is a similar view with the three black and white webs operated in the normal manner and two extra webs applied to the color equipment in such a way that both these webs are perfected in one color;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic inside view showing a preferred driving arrangement, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan of the same.

7 This invention is designed largely for flexibility. The drawings show a color unit having four separate plate cylinders used in cooperation with four separate and individual impression cylinders, one each cooperating with the plate c linder. The use of a large gear in this drive is unique because between any two plate cylinders there are only two points of back lash. This driving arrangement maintains accurate register and minimizes web breaks.

It will be apparent that this arrangement is useful not only in printing color and that it has advantages in that any two of the couples may be used to print and perfect a web in a single color, thereby increasing .the normal capacity of the press without increasing its size by the addition of suff cient paper supply means.

From the first three figures it will be seen that they represent different ways of passing certain webs through a compound press involving three or any number of black and white printing units Ill each having an inking device and delivering to a folder ll. Also, each figure shows a double color printing unit 12, each printing plate cylinder of which is provided with inking means. The webs are delivered from this color unit singly or in a plurality of webs and are all led directly to the folder I I, thus making a complete newspaper or section thereof.

In the set-up shown in Fig. 1, black and white units Ill operate as stated above and the webs, being printed on, are delivered to the folder. The web which goes through the first black and white unit Ill passes through the color unit,

The color unit comprises four adjacent impression cylinders 13 and also four plate cylinders 14, in this case, Separate inking means is p ovide a h pl t cylin e s that t tower ewe colo ca e pr te a l on t same side of the web. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to four couples but that more or less can be employed, involving the same principles in accordance with the claims. The ink motions preferably may be moved away from the printing or plate cylinders, as indicated by the dotted line arrangement in Fig. 1. I

In Fig. 2 the same mechanical arrangement is shown but in this case an extra web l5, not having anything to do with the units [0, is introduced. The units I0 print and deliver to the folder in the usual manner. This separate web l5 passes through the color unit and it can be printed in one color on one side and three colors on the other side in the arrangement shown, although, of course, it could be passed through the color unit in the same manner as in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3 the mechanism is set up with exactly the same principle, with the black and white units delivering to the folder in the same way as before. In this case two extra webs I6 and H5 are shown being supplied to the color equipment l2 in such a manner that both these webs are perfected in one color and taken to the folder.

It will be obvious that the particular lead shown in this figure increases the capacity of the press so that the five webs may be printed in one color.

Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic and show the way in which the printing color units are driven. The central shaft l! for this unit may be driven by any convenient source of power, such as the main driving shaft of the printing press, not shown. The shaft I! has upon it a bevel gear [8. The bevel gear l8 meshes with two large bevel gears l9 and 20 on opposite sides which are secured respectively to two large central gears 2| and 22. These large central gears are mounted on suitable studs not shown and each meshes with two opposite gears 23 and 24 on each side. One of these gears is loosely mounted on each plate cylinder shaft 26. Between each two gears 23 and 24 is a clutch 25 mounted on the plate cylinder shaft 26 and slidably keyed thereto. This clutch can be meshed with the clutch teeth of either gear 23 and 24 and this action can take place on each side of the drive, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be seen that this provides a reversible drive for each of the plate cylinders. The gears 2| and 22 run in opposite directions. On each of the four plate cylinder shafts are placed gears 21. They mesh respectively with gears 28 on the corresponding impression cylinders, thereby gearing each plate cylinder directly to its impression cylinder. 7

It will be seen, therefore, that a very flexible arrangement of printing units is provided and that a driving means is provided which makes each couple reversible very readily. A construc tion is provided in which, between any two plate cylinders, there are only two points of back lash; the driving arrangement maintains accurate register and minimizes web breaks and very many combinations can be made without moving, adjusting, or replacing any of the mechanism for producing numerous webs printed in various ways as to color.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. The combination with a color printing unit having a set of impression cylinders adjacent to each other, a printing cylinder for each impression cylinder arranged beyond it, a driving shaft, a gear on the driving shaft, a pair of opposite gears both in engagement with, and driven by, the first named gear, two large central gears secured to said pair of opposite gears, gears on the shafts of the several printing cylinders meshing with the large gears, a clutch slidingly keyed on each printing cylinder shaft, the gears on these shafts having teeth for engaging the clutch and one of the two gears on each printing cylinder shaft being loose thereon, whereby two printing cylinders can be selectively clutched to the plate cylinder shaft for giving a reversible drive, and means for directly gearing each printing cylinder to its impression cylinder.

2. The combination with a color printing unit having a set of impression cylinders adjacent to each other, a printing cylinder for each impression cylinder arranged beyond it, a driving shaft, a bevel gear on the driving shaft, a pair of opposite bevel gears both in engagement with, and driven by, the first named bevel gear, two large central gears secured respectively to the two opposite bevel gears, gears on the shafts of the several printing cylinders meshing with the large central gears on opposite sides thereof, a clutch on each printing cylinder shaft, the gears on these shafts having teeth for engaging the clutch and one of the two gears on each printing cylinder shaft being loose thereon, whereby the printing cylinders can be reversed.

3. A printing unit comprising a plurality of printing couples, each comprising a plate cylinder having a gear fixed thereto and adapted to print on the same side of the web, driving means for each couple, and means for reversing the drive to the couples, said driving means comprising a single central gear for connection with the gears on each of the plate cylinders.

4. A printing unit comprising a plurality of printing couples, two gears, each common to two of the couples placed side by side and rotated in opposite directions, the printing couples being arranged symmetrically around the two common gears, and selective means for engaging one or more of the printing couples with one or other of the common gears.

5. A printing unit comprising two gears, a plurality of printing couples arranged concentrically around the two gears, means for rotating the two gears in opposite directions, and selective means for engaging one or more of the printing couples with one or other of the two gears.

ISIDOR TORNBERG. 

